Yoga pants that aren't completely black

For the past year or so I have been taking yoga classes from Niccola Nelson. She is an amazing amazing instructor and I am so lucky to be able to join one of her classes each week. She's not a huge fan of yoga pants that are basic black, so I made these black and white leggings in her honor :)

Let's talk sewing and then yoga, ok? I ordered this ITY knit from Girl Charlee not really 100% sure what I was going to end up with. Sometimes it's difficult for me to know whether fabric will work for a specific project without feeling it in person, but since I only needed a yard I figured that I could gamble on the $6.50 price tag. Good call on my part, it works. We'll see how it feels on my skin when I start sweating though.

The pattern is McCall's M6360, with options for shorts above the knee, at the knee, and below the knee. I made version E which was supposed to have zippers on the side, but I wasn't feeling those. I also wasn't feelin hemming either, so I have decided to call this length version, "shants." I'm into this length though, secretly I always have been.

The pattern was superrrrr easy to sew up. It's rare, ok, it's never happened, where I can trace a pattern, cut out fabric, AND sew something completely in one evening. No adjustments were made since this is technically a wearable muslin, but I am happy with the outcome. Next time I will take in the waist a bit, as it is a little loose for my liking. Speaking of waist, these "shants" hit at the natural waist which is awesome. I hate low rise workout gear that I constantly have to adjust while switching yoga poses. The fabric is a little baggy on the back of my thighs, but I don't think it bothers me enough to try and fix.

I'm not going to claim that I'm a yoga expert, or even that I'm good at it. I'm the girl in the back of the class struggling to hold poses and the only one who can't do crow pose. But at the end of the hour I am drenched in sweat and feel great. It's also been really cool to see myself make progress and become more flexible. In my first class I could barely sit down with my legs in front of me and touch my toes, but now my wrists touch my toes!

If you're in the area then I highly encourage you to attend one of Niccola's classes and if you're not in the area then I recommend checking out her food blog. She is the best instructor I've had and the ONLY one that my husband will take classes from. It's really hard to pull myself away from my sewing machine, but I'll do it for Niccola yoga :) What about you guys, do any of you do yoga? It's pretty fun making workout gear, I want to make more!

Yay for fun yoga pants!! :D I've found that I don't like having my stomach covered when I yoga... but I also don't like having my navel hang out (I know, I'm so contrary :P). I've been wearing the super high waisted Ooh La Leggings as yoga pants - with a sports bra, it's the best of both worlds. This makes me want to make more! Wearing handmade workout gear is so awesome - until you do a forward fold and find yourself staring at your crotch and noticing that the seams don't match up lolol. What, just me? :)

These are super cute and so much better than plain black! You look pretty good at yoga to me. I haven't done yoga for a while but I really need to get back on the wagon - it always makes me feel so good! Glad you found an instructor that you really like!

Great pants!!! And I really like that length on you - totally proportionally good looking. Having sewn a pair of black pants myself last year, I can happily say I am SO over them. Love the print on yours though! There isn't anything much more gratifying than noticing your own progress when it comes to fitness, I reckon. I've tried a few yoga classes in my time, enough to know I prefer vinyasa - but I'm a resistance training type gal myself ;)

I had a gift card for a really nice yoga studio here and I dragged my friend with me for a month. While I really like that I increased flexibility a bit, and I LOOOOOVED my warm restorative yin class (a.k.a. sleepy time class), I felt like this: http://themetapicture.com/tin-man-yoga/ in almost every Hatha class. And it hurt my hips like heck. I'm an old lady basically. Hahaha love the yoga pants though! I might have to make a few just for housework.

About Me

Hi! I'm Erin Fosmire and I like reading, sewing leopard print stuff, beach walking, quilting, and knitting in Pismo Beach, California. I'm currently life sidekicking with my husband Luke and living with our three cats and three dogs.